When Night Fell
by gideondorf
Summary: She had her big sister to protect her. fem!Fili/fem!Kili with side fem!Bilbo/fem!Thorin AU


Kili grew up hearing stories about beasts that came out at night and ate children, ghosts that scared others whether or not they meant to, and beasts that destroyed entire villages. By the next morning, the villages would be gone, almost as if they were never there. They scared others. Gimli and Ori suffered from nightmares. Dis would never be happy when the girls heard these stories. Even Fili was afraid, but Kili wasn't afraid. She wouldn't let stories like that scare her. She had her big sister to protect her. When night fell, a shiver ran though everyone but Kili.

When night fell, people would go inside. Kili grew up in warm kitchens, using time to help their mother cook as an excuse to eat before dinner, side by side with her sister whose fingers were just as fast. Thorin would come home from the forge and tell stories of kingdoms old, back when their people were still prosperous.

When night fell, they would leave their weapons and books behind. Kili would ache all over, but she wouldn't mind. Her sister would hurt just as much as her and she wouldn't show it. Kili followed after her, never letting others know unless it was truly serious. If little cuts couldn't bother her sister then they wouldn't bother her.

When night fell, the stars would come out. She and her sister would go outside or on the roof and stare at the little lights in the sky. They would curl up side by side and try to guess what shapes the stars formed. There would be cats chasing trees or birds carrying a dog in their talons. The lights would tell stories, and the two were always happy to hear them.

When night fell, they only needed a few blankets. Their bodies were warm enough, and they snuggled together.

When night fell, adults would sometimes go out. The two would go out and pretend that they were like them. Some parts of being an adult were fun, but some they never understood.

When night fell, time passed. Each day brought another new beginning with it. The calendar read that years passed. Birthdays would come, and so would expectations.

When night fell, they made their promises. No matter what happened, they would stay together.

Thorin finally spoke when night fell. It was time for Erebor to be reclaimed. Their mother objected, but ultimately they agreed to go with him.

When that last night fell, they spent all their time with their mother. It would be a long time before they saw her again. Still, someone must have stayed to watch over Ered Lindon and make sure it prospered. It was all the dwarves had left.

When night fell, they were not in Ered Lindon. They made camp and told stories and stayed close together. They were two against the world and they couldn't have been happier.

When night fell, they arrived in a land of strange hairy footed people. Somehow hair grew on their feet but not their faces! They arrived at the home of a hairy footed woman. They didn't blunt her knives or smash a single plate; their mother would have been proud.

When night fell, they lost the ponies.

When night fell, the stone giants fought, and they were nearly separated. Only when they were safe did they joke that not even those monsters could tear them apart. They forced back their tears.

When night fell, orcs came. Those jokes from earlier were no longer funny. If it weren't for that hairy footed woman, their aunt would have died.

When night fell, they settled into their sleeping mats. The next night, they finally got into real beds. Bee stings covered them and they were filled with honey; they were happy and couldn't think of anything else they wanted.

There was no night in Mirkwood, or day. There was only an endless darkness. Even in the dungeons the elves moved as they pleased in all hours of the day. Elves did not need to sleep. They do not want to know what would happen if the prisoners were not put two into a cell each.

When night fell, they were soaking wet and smelled of apples and elven wine. They vomited and cried, and finally they laughed. They had escaped the elves. Many had thought it impossible!

When night fell, they partied with the men of Laketown. When it ended, they settled into their beds, a bit too large but useful none the less. When they wake up the next morning, they are covered in sheets and blankets and the hair of the other.

When night fell, Bilbo went inside to face the dragon. When morning came, she left with a little less foot hair and a cup of gold.

When night fell, they headed inside the mountain. There is gold and jewels of every type. But more importantly, there is gold. The legends from their childhood are true, and this gold belongs to them.

When night fell, another skilled archer ended the life of Smaug.

When night fell, words of war pass through them. They held each other close and wish that there was an easy solution to the mess.

When night fell, Kili iwas alone in her medical tent. Her sister was not there to protect her.

When night fell, she finally awoke from her deep sleep. Her sister was crying over her. She hated it when Fili cried.

When night fell, she collapsed into her bed. She was tired from the day's festivity, her mother arriving, her aunt and Bilbo marrying, and the crowning. They are finally true royalty.

When morning came, they had their own story to tell. Before it is told to anyone else, they whisper it to each other. They kiss and hug and smile. Words leave their lips, but they aren't sad. How can they be sad when they have everything that they were promised? They do not wait until night to tell their stories. If anyone is interested, they tell, and they lack no amount of interested ears. But when night fell they whisper to each other the important parts, the parts meant just for each other. Those were the best parts, and Kili would never tire of hearing them.


End file.
